Afet ve Kriz Çevirmenliğinde Stres Faktörleri ve Öz Bakım İhtiyacı
Filiz Şan, Rana Kahraman DuruBu çalışmada afet ve kriz ortamlarında görev alan çevirmenlerin karşılaştığı stres faktörleri ve bu süreçte ortaya çıkan öz bakım ihtiyacı ele alınmaktadır. Afet bölgelerinde çalışan çevirmenler afet koşullarıyla birlikte dilsel, kültürel ve psikolojik zorluklarla mücadele ederken, kritik bilgilere aracılık etmektedir. Yerel halk, yerel ekipler vs. ile uluslararası ekipler arasında iletişimi sağlayan çevirmenler hem fiziksel hem de duygusal dayanıklılık gerektiren zorlu görevler üstlenmektedir. Bu süreçte stres yönetimi ve öz bakım stratejileri önemlidir. Öz bakım, fiziksel ve duygusal refahı sürdüren davranışları kapsar ve afet çevirmenleri için hayati bir rol oynar. Bu bakımdan stres yönetimi ve geliştirilecek öz bakım stratejileri, çevirmenlerin görevlerini daha sağlıklı bir şekilde sürdürmesine ve afet bölgelerinde karşılaştıkları zorlukları aşmalarına yardımcı olacaktır.
Bu araştırmada amaçlanan 6 Şubat 2023 tarihinde yaşanan Kahramanmaraş depremlerinde Afette Rehber Çevirmenlik organizasyonu koordinasyonunda ya da bireysel girişimleri ile görev almış çevirmenlere uygulanan yarı yapılandırılmış anketle onların bu süreçte yaşadığı zorlukları, stres faktörlerini ve öz bakım ihtiyaçlarını ortaya koymaktır. Araştırmadan elde edilecek bulgular çevirmenlerin iyilik halini geliştirmeleri için stratejiler geliştirilmesi için bir zemin hazırlamayı da hedeflemiştir.
Araştırmanın sonucunda çevirmenlerin psikolojik ve fiziksel olarak dayanıklılıklarını arttırmak için, afet öncesi eğitimlerde, görev sırasında ihtiyaç duyarsa süpervizyon benzeri uygulamalarla ve afet sonrasında ise psikolojik yardımlarla desteklenmesinin gerekliliği vurgulanmaktadır.
Stress Factors and Self-Care Needs in Disaster and Crisis Interpreting
Filiz Şan, Rana Kahraman DuruThis study focuses on the stress factors faced by interpreters working in disaster and crisis settings and the self-care needs that arise in this process. Interpreters working in disaster areas mediate critical information while struggling with linguistic, cultural and psychological difficulties and disaster conditions. By communicating between local people, local teams, etc., and international teams, interpreters undertake challenging tasks that require physical and emotional resilience. Stress management and self-care strategies are essential in this process. Self-care encompasses behaviours that maintain physical and emotional well-being and are vital for disaster and crisis interpreters. In this respect, stress management and self-care strategies will help interpreters perform their duties more effectively and overcome their challenges in disaster areas and crisis environments. The primary aim of this study was to uncover the challenges, stress factors, and self-care needs of interpreters who were involved in the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes on February 6, 2023. Whether they were part of the Emergency and Disaster Interpreters (ARÇ) Organisation or working independently, these interpreters were surveyed using a semi-structured questionnaire. The findings of this research lay the groundwork for developing strategies to improve the well-being of interpreters in similar situations.
As a result of this research, pre-disaster training, supervision-like practises during assignments, and post-disaster psychologicalassistance are crucial in enhancing interpreters’ psychological and physical resilience, enabling them to fulfil their roles more effectively.
This study focuses on the stress management and self-care needs of interpreters in disaster and crisis settings and addresses the unique challenges they face during these times. In disasters and crises, interpreters must cope with heavy psychological and emotional burdens while struggling with linguistic and cultural barriers. Compared to other forms of community interpreting, disaster and crisis interpreting is a highly resilient process in a much more complex and uncertain field. While other types of community interpreting (e.g. court, health, etc.) usually work in more institutionalised and structured settings, interpreters working in disaster and crisis settings must make decisions more quickly, take on multifaceted roles, and demonstrate physical and mental resilience.
Disaster interpreting is not just about language. These interpreters serve as cultural bridges and connect local communities with international teams, facilitating coordination by swiftly and effectively transferring information during crises. The work of the Emergency and Disaster Interpreters Organisation (ARÇ) is a testament. Established after the 1999 Marmara Earthquake, ARÇ’s mission is to break down language barriers in times of disaster and crisis by training volunteer interpreters. Following the February 6, 2023, earthquakes, ARÇ played a pivotal role in the initial days of the disaster and crisis, providing language support to international search and rescue teams and aiding in the rapid resolution of linguistic and cultural barriers.
According to the survey results, disaster and crisis interpreters face language barriers, cultural differences, long working hours and the inability to take breaks. The inability to rest and the emotional burden of working in disaster settings strain interpreters’ resilience. The survey results revealed that many interpreters felt stress, helplessness and fatigue while on assignment. Disaster interpreters work under much more intense stress than community interpreters and are at a higher risk of burnout. According to the survey results, a significant number of interpreters experienced psychological effects such as guilt, extreme fatigue and emotional breakdown while returning to their social and professional lives after the disaster.
With their challenges, disaster and crisis interpreters must prioritise self-care strategies. Practises like meditation, breathing exercises, regular breaks, healthy eating, and social support are instrumental in preserving the psychological well-being of the interpreters. The stressful and uncertain nature of disaster and crisis interpretation necessitates adopting such strategies. Increasing training and establishing psychological support systems for interpreters, particularly before disasters, can significantly enhance their preparedness for these demanding roles. This study also underscores the importance of comprehensive training for interpreters before disasters and crises. The survey results reveal that most interpreters need adequate pre-disaster training, leading them to take responsibility for disaster areas unprepared. This lack of preparation can significantly hinder their ability to cope with the challenges they face during a crisis. Developing and implementing training programmes for disaster interpreters can improve communication during crises and enhance interpreters’ psychological resilience.
Coordination is also crucial for interpreters to fulfil their duties effectively during disasters. While communicating between local people/teams and international aid organisations, interpreters actively participate in rapid decision- making processes. The survey results reveal that interpreters need help overcome cultural and linguistic differences between foreign teams and local communities, which makes coordination difficult. In addition, factors such as lack of breaks, long task hours, and uncertainty during the task increase interpreters’ emotional burden and show that they need more support and guidance during these processes.
In the aftermath of the disaster, access to psychological support is crucial for translators to return to their social and professional lives. According to the survey results, many interpreters found it challenging to return to their social and professional lives after the disaster and experienced symptoms such as extreme fatigue, anger, and depression.
Therefore, providing psychological support to disaster interpreters after the crisis is critical in mitigating such adverse effects. However, the survey results show that many interpreters do not have access to this support and try to cope only with the support of family and friends.
In conclusion, disaster and crisis interpreting differs from community interpreting in requiring multifaceted roles under uncertainty and intense stress. Beyond linguistic mediation, disaster and crisis interpreters must undertake crisis management and coordination tasks. This process severely strains the psychological and physical resilience of the interpreters. Adopting and disseminating self-care strategies in disaster and crisis interpreting will enable interpreters to fulfil their duties with less impact from these challenging processes. Among the main findings of this study are the importance of pre-disaster training, effective coordination during the disaster process, and psychological support after the disaster.
